Schumer pushes for new job training funds

The State University of New York's community college system has applied for a $15 million federal grant that would fund worker training programs for hard-to-fill jobs.

U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer on Wednesday announced that he is pushing the U.S. Labor Department to approve SUNY's application to establish training programs in mechatronics and advanced manufacturing.

Mechatronics incorporates engineering, mechanics, electronics and other technical work. Schumer said there could be 20,000 new jobs in the field in upstate New York between 2010 and 2020, including 3,300 in the Rochester-Finger Lakes region, but not enough workers have the skills for the jobs.

"There are jobs going begging and there are people unemployed, so why don't those people fill the jobs going begging? Because they don't have the skills and this program has our community colleges give them the skills so they can fill these jobs," Schumer said.

The U.S. Labor Department is expected to make a decision on the grant application within the next two months, Schumer said.

In the Rochester-Finger Lakes region, New Scale Technologies Inc. and Redcom Laboratories in Victor would partner with Finger Lakes Community College, while CooperVision Inc. and LiDestri Foods would partner with Monroe Community College to train workers.

"These are not just any jobs, they're good paying jobs that last a long time — maintenance and repair workers, industrial machinery mechanics, technical sales representatives, electrical and electronics industry technicians. They pay up to $30, $40 an hour at the top level," he said.

Schumer said the funding would be enough to establish programs that could train 1,200 workers annually. He said veterans and displaced workers would get preference in the programs.

If the grant application is approved, the community colleges will work with companies in their area and create programs to fit their specific needs. The funding would be allocated by SUNY officials, but it would depend largely on many students each campus wants to train. The funding won't cover tuition, just hiring, training and salary for teachers, plus equipment needed.

Schumer said the federal funding is needed because some companies can't afford to provide the training on their own.

Allison Leet, vice president of finance and human resources at New Scale, said the money her company would save on in-house training "we can use for R and D to create new products which we can get faster to market to create more jobs."

MCC is in the process of creating a mechatronics program that is expected to start in about a year with 18 to 20 students, said Todd Oldham, MCC's vice president for economic development.

FLCC has just created a 12-week mechatronics technology non-credit certificate program that will start Monday with 12 students, said FLCC spokesperson Lenore Friend. If the federal grant is approved, FLCC would create an additional one-year credit program in mechatronics, she said.

The FLCC program includes instruction in electronics assembly, soldering, mechanical fundamentals, blueprint reading, electrical schematics, and measuring techniques. Employees with the training are a big advantage to companies.

"For them to train somebody in house would take a long time," Friend said. "It's very expensive. So if somebody walks through the door with some basic certification, some basic information, and a greater understanding of what the job is, they won't have so much turnover."

New Scale makes tiny motion systems with special motors used in very small and precise focusing modules and camera lenses used in the biomedical and aerospace industries. She said the company plans to hire three to five new precision assembly operators and manufacturing technicians at $13 to $15 per hour early next year.

"The biggest savings for us is having pretrained, prescreened candidates so when they walk in they're really effective," Leet said.